Posted by
EWRoss on Thursday, June 18, 2009 8:00:00 AM
Popular uprisings against authoritarian and oppressive governments are funny things. When you see tens of thousands of unarmed demonstrators on the streets protesting a fixed election or supporting an opposition leader you believe might bring positive change, at the very least you sympathize with them. If you’re active on the Internet, you share your sympathies with your friends in emails or on social networking sites. That’s easy to do, and it gives you the feeling that you’re doing something to help, and when enough people do it, it does.
What’s more difficult is deciding what you want your government to do. The US government has a long history of involvement in popular uprisings. It’s even started a few. There was a time when a little money from the CIA, a few well-placed operatives, a pirate radio station or two and a little luck did the trick. And if you had the Pope on your side and your name was Ronald Reagan, you could overthrow an empire. But you always have to be careful. If you misjudge, a lot of people end up in pine boxes in unmarked graves. Tiananmen, describes that situation.
So what should the US government do about Iran? Should it speak out for freedom and democracy and perhaps opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi while working quietly behind the scenes? Or should it say as little as possible to avoid “Supreme Leader” Ayatollah Ali Khamenie and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from making the US the Bogie Man. If it believes Ahmadinejad and Khamenie are the leaders Iranians really want and an Iran with nuclear weapons is just fine, it should probably remain silent. If not, I suggest it get busy. Time’s a wastin’.